ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is concerned with the civil law as that family of legal systems which have their origins in the law of ancient Rome, and which have since been developed and shaped in the universities and legal systems of continental Europe during the mediaeval and early modem period. It identifies the history of the civil law the strands which one finds today woven into the fabric of the modern civil law. The book shows how modern civil law has been shaped as the ideas, concepts and structures of the Roman legists and jurists have been reworked, woven and rewoven into the garment of European jurisprudence by examining the history of civil law from Roman times. It traces the growth of the elements which are today the component parts of modern civil law from their beginnings through the various phases of their development.
